LESSON 5: The Housekeeping Section

The housekeeping department, in any hotel business, contributes to major amount of profit
though it is considered as an ancillary service. The simple reason being, a customer demands a clean,
tidy, and pleasing ambience.
Housekeeping generates the first impression on a guest’s mind. The housekeeping efforts clearly show
how the hotel will take care of its guests.

The Housekeeping department takes pride in keeping the hotel clean and comfortable, so as to
create a ‘Home away from home’. The aim of all accommodation establishment is to provide their
customers with clean, attractive, comfortable and welcoming surrounding that offer value for money.
Nothing sends a stronger message than cleanliness in a hospitality operation. No level of service,
friendliness or glamour can equal the sensation a guest has upon entering a spotless, tidy and
conveniently arranged room. Both management and guest consider the keeping of the place clean and
in a good order a necessity for a hotel to command a fair price and get repeat business.
               Housekeeping may be defined as the provision of a clean, comfortable and safe environment,
It’s not confined to the housekeeping department as every member of staff in the establishment should
be concerned with the provision of these facilities in their own department, eg. the chef ‘housekeepers’
in the kitchen, the restaurant manager or head waiter ‘housekeepers’ in the restaurant, and the general
manager has overall responsibility.

In any establishment there are three department particularly concerned with accommodation:
1. The reception department, whose staff sell and allocate the rooms.
2. The housekeeping department, whose staff plan, provide and service the rooms.
3. The maintenance department, whose staff provide adequate hot and cold water, sanitation,
heating, lighting and ventilation as well as maintaining and repairing individual articles and area
within the rooms operation.

IMPORTANCE OF HOUSEKEEPING
      Housekeeping is an operational department in a hotel, which is responsible for cleanliness,
maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public area, back area and surroundings. A hotel survives on
the sale of room, food, beverages and other minor services such as the laundry, health club spa and so
on. The sale of rooms constituter a minimum of 50 per cent of these sales. Thus, the major part of the
hotel’s margin of profit comes from the room sales, because a room once made can be sold over and
over again. The effort that a housekeeping department makes in giving a guest a desirable room has a
direct bearing on the guest’s experience in a hotel. Guestrooms are the heart of the hotel. The
housekeeping department not only prepares clean guestroom on a timely basis for arriving guest, but
also cleans and maintains everything in the hotel so that the property is as fresh and attractive as the
day it opened for business. Housekeeping, thus, is an ancillary department that contributes in a big way
towards the overall reputation of a property.
      It is rightly said that housekeeping is a 24 x 7 x 365 operation. Imagine the stacks of linen needed to
make up all the beds in a hotel, the miles if carpeting, floor, walls and ceiling to be cleaned and
maintained, and cleaning compounds along with special tools and equipment needed in order to clean.
     Other than hotels, professional housekeeping services are very much in demand in hospitals, on
cruise liners, at offices and more. Since most such organizations prefer to outsource these functions,
contract housekeeping is becoming a popular in these days.

ROLE OF HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT 

Housekeeping plays a very important role in hospitality industry such as:-
 To achieve the maximum possible efficiency in ensuring the care and comfort of guests and in
the smooth running of the department.
 To establish a welcoming atmosphere and ensure courteous, reliable service from all staff of the
department.
 To ensure a high standards of cleanliness and general upkeep in all areas for which the
department is responsible.
 To provide linen in rooms, restaurants, banquet hall, conference venues, health clubs, and so
on, as well as maintain an inventory for the same.
 To provide uniforms for all the staff and maintain adequate inventories for the same.
  To cater to the laundering requirements of the hotel linen, staff uniforms and guest clothing.
 To Provide and maintain the floral decorations and maintain the landscaped areas of the hotel.
 To coordinate renovation and refurnishing of the property as and when, in consultation with the
management and with interior designers.
 To deal with lost and found articles.
 To ensure training, control and supervision of all staff attached to the department.
 To establish a good working relationship with other department.
 To ensure that safety and security regulations are made known to all staff of the department.

Types of Housekeeping
 Domestic Housekeeping
refers to housekeeping maintenance in a house, it covers bedrooms, kitchen, dining, receiving
area, grounds and the surroundings areas within the house
 Institutional Housekeeping
applies to housekeeping maintenance in commercial lodging establishments like hotels, resorts,
inns and apartels.
Institutional Housekeeping usually covers the following areas:
 Guest rooms
 Windows
 Hallways and corridors
 Stores, concessionaire shops
 Lobby
 Grounds
 Public Rooms and restaurants
 Linen and Laundry area
 Offices
 Stairways

 SCOPE OF HOUSEKEEPING MAINTENANCE

1. Guestroom Maintenance
a. Maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness in the guestrooms
b. Furnishing the room with the necessary amenities and supplies such as bed, linens ,
appliances, etc.,
c. Attending to service request of house guests
d. Keeping the area free of safety hazards.
2. Maintenance of Public Areas
a. Maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness in all public areas which include lobby,
corridors
b. Maintaining and up keeping the surroundings of the building by keeping it clean and
free of liters.
c. Maintaining an attractive landscape to enhance eye appeal.
d. Keeping the public areas free of safety hazards
e. Undertaking minor repair like busted bulbs, broken furniture, etc.
3. Maintenance of Linen/Laundry Service
a. Collecting and delivering laundry items for house guests or in house occupants.
b. Washing drying, ironing guest laundry as well as linens used in banquet functions, food
service and guestrooms
c. Mending service
4. Washing
a. Washing, Issuance, Repair and Inventory of Employee’s uniforms
5. Installation and cleaning
a. Installation, cleaning and Maintenance of Fixtures and Facilities like furniture and
appliances.
6. Special services
a. Provision of special services like babysitting, polishing shoes, etc.

THE EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER

 Supervises all housekeeping employees, has the authority to hire or discharge, plans and
assigns work assignments, give training for newly recruited employees, audit and inspects housekeeping
personal work assignment and requisition supplies. Take care of the budget and budget controlling for
the department.

EHK Duties and Responsibility:

Supervises all housekeeping employees, hires new employees as needed, discharges employees
when necessary and take disciplinary actions when policies are not followed. Evaluates employees in
order to upgrade them when openings arise.
Plans the work for the housekeeping department and distributes assignments accordingly.
Assigns regular duties and special duties for housekeeping staff. Schedules employees and assigns extra
days off according to occupancy forecast. Maintains a time log book of all employees within the
department.
Recruit and train new employees. Assigns new employees to work with experienced help.
Checks on the work of these employees occasionally and observes the report made by the supervisors.
Approves all supply requisitions, such as those for spreads and bathroom rugs. Maintains a lost-
and-found department and is responsible for all lost-and-found items. Determines the rightful owner
and send correspondences.

Responsibility & Authority:

 Responsible for cleanliness, orderliness and appearance of the entire Hotel.
 Ensure that rooms are made as per company standard.
 Prepare Annual Housekeeping Budget.
 Maintain par stock of guest supplies, cleaning supplies, linen and uniform.
 Organize inventories with Accounts and General Store for linen, uniform and fixed assets.
 Pay particular attention while organizing pest eradication activities.
 Develop and implement Housekeeping systems and procedures
 Prepare reports for management information.
 Assist Purchase department in selecting suppliers for items related to Housekeeping.
 Plan, control and supervise Horticultural activities.
 Attending and resolving guest complaints.
 Verification of supplies consignments.
 Organize on-the job training and evaluate its effectiveness.
 Approval of the Functional Manual of the department.
 Recommend recruitment of new personnel.

Other Routine Responsibilities:

 Daily inspection of public areas and employees locker rooms.
 Daily briefing of Supervisors/ Executives.
 Coordinating the preventive maintenance schedule of rooms and public area with maintenance
department.
 Immediately attending to guest requests.

HOUSEKEEPING MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

Hotel Management Module: Housekeeping Management

In some Housekeeping software you can view and control the department operations in real-
time, streamline the performance of the cleaning staff and consequently improve service quality.
Housekeeping Management Software offers housekeeping management module that provides
an impressive line of features that can help manage hotel’s housekeeping processes. Housekeeping
room attendants and their supervisors directly record task information in the Housekeeping
Management module making the entire workflow simple, smooth, and quick.
Supervisors can manage staff competently through scheduling, task-allocation and inspection
features. You can also define job roles and responsibilities, and assign specific tasks with required
instructions to carry out the task.
With housekeeping module, tasks can be managed well in a timely manner, adhering to
standards, fulfilling sanitation requirements of the Hotels Act.
Why HMS necessary?

Our housekeeping tool is an integral part of the hotel management system that allows the
hoteliers to track the change of housekeeping statuses of each room. The workflow of every
housekeeper can be orderly organized and viewed on the cleaning schedule so that there is no risk to
lose a task during the shift change.

How does it work?

As soon as the guest has departed and the room becomes vacant, its housekeeping status
changes in Front Desk, and in the housekeeping module immediately. According to the reservation plan
and incoming check-ins, the cleaning priorities and urgent tasks are manually arranged by the
department manager. Rooms with higher cleaning priority are automatically placed at the top of the list.
By applying such filters as room number, type, housekeeping status, priority, and floor, it is easy to
modify the list view to track all changes and make necessary adjustments.

The department manager can also choose several rooms, group change their cleaning priority
and assign a housekeeper for these selected rooms. All assigned housekeepers - maids as well as quality
controllers - can access the list of rooms within their responsibility and change their status in the system
on their desktop or mobile devices in real time. As the Housekeeping module is instantly synchronized
with Front Desk, where it is also possible to change room status, the front desk employee can
immediately see which rooms are ready for the check-in.

A room can be ready for arriving guests on time or even in advance if the latter is requested and
agreed on. As for the personnel, each housekeeper receives a cleaning schedule (as a printable PDF file)
at the beginning of the shift, and on its basis, daily reports are prepared, which allows the hotelier to
control all the work processes concerning the change of the room statuses.

All the changes are saved as log records, so it is easy to track when the cleaning of each room
was done, and how much time it took. The software is intuitive - easy to navigate and manage. That
results in no delays for guests, no stress for employees as well as timely and smooth housekeeping
procedures for the hotelier.

BENEFITS
 Easy organization and management of housekeeping processes
 Assigning multiple housekeeper roles to employees in the system
 Real-time room status display in Housekeeping and Front Desk.
 Fast and convenient search with a set of filters.
 Prioritization of guest rooms by the status and cleaning urgency.
 Possibility to group-change the cleaning status of rooms.

Basic Functions
 Management of housekeeping activities
 Management of room housekeeping
 Management of room inspection Total Flexibility
 All the screens are customizable (seizure, lists, states, search and more)
 Fine management of rights and user’s menu.
 Possible adaptation of all the resources of the enterprise.
 Direct access through the Internet.
 Process configuration and possible alerts.
 Integrated request system.
 Extensible via numerous optional modules.
 Personalized process.

Housekeeping Management and Control System is somehow related to the PMS or Property
Management System. Here is a video to explain PMS. How it works and what it is about.

Please click the link to continue to the video:

https://youtu.be/9Jz689rY7uo
Management of Room Inventory
There are perhaps two questions to consider here: 1) What is room inventory? And 2) Why
is room inventory so important to hotels large and small across the world?
Well, in simple terms, room inventory is basically a calculation:

The number of rooms a hotel has MINUS the amount of rooms sold

= the number of rooms available for a particular day

But wait. Does that mean every single room in the hotel? The answer is a resounding
No. With room inventory, hotels must only include in their calculation the number of rooms
available for reservation. For example, a 100-room hotel in Charleroi (Belgium) may be
redecorating 25 of its rooms on the third floor, meaning that only 75 per cent of the total
rooms at the hotel must be included in the room inventory sum.
The importance of room inventory cannot be stressed enough. After all,
every hotel and motel in the world is in business to make money, and the majority of revenue
comes from selling rooms. The frequency of carrying out a room inventory procedure is, of
course, entirely up to each individual hotel or chain. But, it is advisable to do it at least once a
week, and some hotels even carry out a room inventory procedure on a daily basis, as this can
help enormously when keeping track of finance (profit and loss) and setting prices for rooms
and suites.

Management of Room Key

The hotel guest room key is normally issued to open only one room for which it was
intended, viz. individualized key for each lock. If the guest room lock is in shut-out mode
the guest room key can neither open it nor lock from outside of the room. 
One of the most important factors of the hotel guest room is the lock on the door. In past
key control systems were limited to basic metal key these were easily lost and were costly to
replace.
The Key control systems eventually evolved into systems that were easier to replace called

key cards. These plastic keys were filled with small holes at the one end that the door could
read when inserted. The drawback to the key card was that they had the room name printed on
them this posed a major security risk and thus had to be replaced as well.
Modern hotels today use computer-controlled key control system. A credit card type card is
assigned a special code when activated by the front desk. This key is preprogrammed with
guest arrival and departure information and will work for the duration of guest stay and for a
particular period.
Below are few types of key configurations used in hotels:
1)  Master Keys
Ä A master key is designed to open a set of several locks. These locks also have
keys which are specific to each one (the change key) and cannot open any of the
others in the set. Locks which have master keys have a second set of the
mechanism used to open them which is identical to all of the others in the set of
locks.
For example, master keyed pin tumbler locks will have two shear
points at each pin position, one for the change key and one for the
master key.
2) Grand Master
Ä Key operates all locks in the Hotel. Including laundry and linen rooms.
3) Emergency Keys
Ä The emergency key opens all guestroom doors, even when they are double
locked. It can be used, for example, to enter a room when the guest needs help
and is unable to reach or open the door. The emergency key should be highly
protected and its use strictly controlled and recorded; it should never leave the
property.
One procedure for emergency keys is to have them locked in a safe
or safe deposit box and signed out by the individual needing one. The log
should be dated and signed by the individual taking the key.
4) Floor Supervisor Key
Ä Key operates all sections on the floor/ floors supervised by the particular
supervisor.
5) Guest Room Key
Ä These are the keys with minimum access, unlocking just the one room. When
keys are given to guests upon registration, the guest’s room no. must not be
spoken aloud if there are others within hearing range. Room Nos. should be
shown to the guests in writing with a reminder that they should note it down if a
guest check-in packet is not used. Explain to the guest that the coding system is
their protection. GRA’s and others who find keys in unoccupied guestrooms or
elsewhere should place them in their pockets or in the locked key boxes
provided, not on their carts (where they are accessible to others), and turn them
in to their supervisor to be returned to the front desk. 

Housekeeping Staff Master Key :

 Key operates all rooms serviced by particular room maid or housekeeping staff.

Important Key Control Procedures:

 Security of keys is essential from the moment they arrive on site.
 Keys should be stored separately and securely.
 No unauthorized person should be allowed access to any key, either to examine or
handle it, since a photograph or impression can be taken in few seconds and duplicate
subsequently made.
 Keep a log book of all keys signed out.
 Establish protocol for distribution of keys.
 Use keys that do not identify the property’s name, address, logo, or room number.
 Perform an annual key audit
 When keys are lost or stolen, the locks should be changed or rotated to another part of
the property.
 Authorized employees should remind guests to return keys at check-out.
 The loss or suspected compromise of a key should be reported immediately and, after
due investigation, a decision be made as to whether or not the lock should be changed.
  Place well-secured key return boxes in the lobby, at exit points of the property, and in
courtesy vehicles.
Key Control
The control of guestroom keys is one of the cornerstones of the hotel security that
guests have a right to except under common law. Key control is the process of reducing guest
property theft and other security-related incidents by carefully monitoring and tracking the use
of keys in the hospitality operation. If there is no key-card lock system, the following policies
should be considered for key control:

Coding
A few precautions to take while coding is as follows:
 Room keys must not have any form of a tag that identifies the hotel.
 Keys must not have the room number on them.
 Keys must be identified by a numeric or alphanumeric code. That code should not, in
any way, directly correspond to the building or room numbers.
Management and Control of Linen and Laundry Operation
The laundry department has a basic cycle of operation with the below steps:-
1. Collecting Soiled Linen
House maid and room boy should strip linens from beds and areas and put them on
to the linen chute or on to the soiled linen carts stored on each floor pantry. Staff should
never use any guest linen for any cleaning purpose.
The house boys should go for frequent rounds on each floors to collect the soiled
linen from the linen chute or on to each floor pantry.

Supervisors should make sure that the soiled linens doesn't pileup on floor pantry
which may cause further soil or damage as there are chances that people may walk on
them.
2. Transport Soiled Linen to Laundry department.
The linens form the Laundry chutes and floor pantry are carried to the laundry
department by trolley. The housemen should make sure that the laundry items are not
dragged on the floor this may further damage or soil the laundry.
3. Sorting of Linen and Uniforms.
The laundry sorting area of the hotel should be large enough to buffer one day
worth of laundry and these sorting of laundry should not cause interfere with other laundry
activities. Note: SOP for sorting of uniforms and linens. Sort linen and uniforms according to
their stains, size, type, color etc. 
4. Washing and Dry cleaning.
After the linens and uniforms are sorted properly the laundry staff collects the
batches of laundry and load them to the washers. It is also a good process to always weigh
the laundry items before loading them to the washers, this will ensure that the washers are
not overloaded and help to run them in the optimum operation condition.
If required the soiled linens are treated to remove stains before the washing
process. To reduce operational cost nowadays hotels uses chemicals ( bleaches, detergents,
softeners etc.) while washing process to remove stains instead of treating laundry items
separately before washing.
5. Drying.
After the washing cycle is completed the washed items are dried on the dryer. The
drying times and temperature vary considerable according to the type of linen / cloths. 
Also always the drying should be followed by a gradual cool down process to
prevent the hot linens from being damaged or wrinkled by rapid cooling and healing
process.
6. Folding of Linen and Uniforms.
 Even though a lot of flooding of linens are now automated, the hotels still do a lot of
folding by hand. While folding the linens the laundry attendants should also look for any
damages occurred to them while the laundry process.
The folded items are then stored and stacked properly according to batches. The
finished laundry items should latest rest for 24hrs. as this will increase their life.

Hotel Laundry Operation and Laundry Flow chart

The effectiveness of the laundering process depends on many factors, including:

 time and temperature
 mechanical action
 water quality (pH, hardness)
 volume of the load
 extent of soiling
 model/availability of commercial washers and dryers
Always use and maintain laundry equipment according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Best practices for personal protective equipment (PPE) for laundry staff:
 Practice hand hygiene before application and after removal of PPE.
 Wear tear-resistant reusable rubber gloves when handling and laundering soiled linens.
 If there is risk of splashing, for example, if laundry is washed by hand, laundry staff
should always wear gowns or aprons and face protection (e.g., face shield, goggles)
when laundering soiled linens.
Best practices for laundering soiled linen:
 Follow instructions from the washer/dryer manufacturer.
 Use hot water (70–80°C X 10 min) [158–176°F]) and an approved laundry detergent.
o Disinfectant are generally not needed when soiling is at low levels.
o Use disinfectant on a case by case basis, depending on the origin of the soiled
linen (e.g., linens from an area on contact precautions).
 Dry linens completely in a commercial dryer.
Manual reprocessing steps
If laundry services with hot water are not available, reprocess soiled linens manually
according to the following:
1. Immerse in detergent solution and use mechanical action (e.g., scrubbing) to remove
soil.
 2. Disinfect by one of these methods:
o Immersing the linen in boiling water or
o Immersing the linen in disinfectant solution for the required contact time and
rinsing with clean water to remove residue
3. Allowing to fully dry, ideally in the sun.
Best practices for management of clean linen:
 Sort, package, transport, and store clean linens in a manner that prevents risk of
contamination by dust, debris, soiled linens or other soiled items.
 Each floor/ward should have a designated room for sorting and storing clean linens.
 Transport clean linens to patient care areas on designated carts or within designated
containers that are regularly (e.g., at least once daily) cleaned with a neutral detergent
and warm water solution.
Preventing Losses of Housekeeping Supplies – one way of controlling cost implications in
housekeeping department. Control measures applied by hotels to avoid such incident are the
following:
 Tracking of inventory , beginning and ending, on all linens and other supplies.
 Assigning a stock clerk or custodian to some establishments who is responsible and
accountable in handling and issuing supplies.
 Fresh linens are issued according to the number of soiled linens returned.
 Strict checking of vacated rooms prior to posting of guest’s financial obligations .
 Daily consumption Report is required to be accomplished by room attendants to
monitor movement of stocks.

CONTROLLING STOCKS REQUISITION AND ISSUANCE

All housekeeping supplies are managed and controlled by the assigned employee.
Some control measures of stock requisition and issuance:
 In the case of delivery from the supplier, supplies shall be received by the hotel stock
clerk with proper documentation and checking on their quality and quantity.
 These supplies then are stored in the central storeroom.
 Requestors or end users just like housekeeping supervisors are given supplies only what
are needed for the day.
 Requisition should only be for replenishing used stocks to maintain the par stock.
 Stock requisition form is used in requesting supplies to be done on a daily basis.
 To avoid losses and discrepancies, justified and approved requisition shall be presented
for items to be released.
HOUSEKEEPING SUPPLIES INVENTORY
Housekeeping inventories refer to the stocks of purchased operating supplies,
equipment and other items held for future use in housekeeping operations.

There are two types of housekeeping inventories:

1. Recycled inventories are for those items and pieces of equipment that have
relatively limited useful lives but are used over and over again.
Example: Cleaning equipment and other machines, linen, uniforms and guest
loan items.
2. Non-recycled inventories include items that are used up during the course of
routine housekeeping operations.
Example: Cleaning supplies, cleaning agents and small piece of equipment.

CLEANING EQUIPMENT
Brushes
- are meant to remove dirt dry or wet from hard or soft surfaces. They may have bristles
of animal, vegetable or man-made origin.
TYPES:
 1. HARD BRUSHES: They have hard bristles used for removing heavy soil & litter
from carpets and for cleaning hard and rough surfaces such as hard floor.
2. SOFT BRUSHES: They have soft and flexible bristles meant for removing loose soil
from hard/smooth surfaces such as carpets and furniture’s.

Brushes are classified on the basis of their functions:

 Toilet brushes – for cleaning toilet bowl

 Bottle brushes – for cleaning overflow vents in wash basins and tubs
 Cloth brushes - for scrubbing clothes
 Deck scrubbers – for cleaning large areas 
 Carpet brushes – for brushing carpets
 Upholstery brushes – to loosen out dust between the fabric fibers in upholstered chairs
and sofas
 Feather brushes – for light dusting
 Hearth brush – for cleaning heavy soiling
 Flue brush – for cleaning chimneys

Brooms
- consist of long bristles gathered together & inserted into a long handle.
TYPES:
1. SOFT BRISTLED BROOMS: They have soft bristles and are used on smooth floors.
2. HARD/COARSE BRISTLED BROOMS: Used on coarse surfaces especially outdoors.
3. WALL BROOMS: Also called as ceiling brooms or Turk’s head. They have a soft
head & a long handle usually made of cane. They are used to remove cobwebs as
well as dust from cornices, ceilings and high edges.
4. BOX SWEEPERS: Used for weeping up dust and litter from soft floor coverings
such as rugs and carpets.
Mops

- are used in conjunction with buckets for the removal of dirt adhering to a surface.
1. DRY MOPS/MOP SWEEPER: consist of head made of twisted cotton yarn or synthetic
yarns or synthetic fibers & attached to a long handle.
2. WET MOPS: Consist of long, coarser yarn meant for cleaning light soiled floors with a
bucket, water & detergent.
3. POLISH APPLICATOR MOPS: Labeled for the type of polish used. The head is never
washed but replaced.
4. SQUEEGEES: Meant to remove excess water from the floors. Smaller ones are meant
to remove excess water from windows while cleaning windows.

Cloths
- used in wet and dry cleaning by housekeeping staff.
1. DUSTERS AND CLOTCH MITTENS: Used for dusting and buffing. Soft, absorbent and
up to 15 sq cm. They must be sprayed with a fine mist of water or dusting solution.
2. SWABS AND WIPES: All-purpose cloths made of soft, absorbent material. Used for
cleaning sanitary fittings such as bathtub and wash basins.
3. FLOOR CLOTHS: Bigger, thicker and made of thick coarser cotton material. Used to
remove spills from floors.
4. GLASS CLOTHS: Soft linen and do not leave behind lint. Used for wiping mirrors and
drinking glasses.
5. RAGS AND POLISHING CLOTHS: Obtained from sewing room. Used for applying
polish or strong
CONTAINER
- Work becomes easier and efficient with appropriate containers in which to carry,
transport, collect and store supplies and other items.
1. HAND CADDIES: a box with a handle and a fitted tray. Used by RA for carrying
cleaning supplies for guestroom cleaning.

2. JANITOR’S TROLLEY: Used during the cleaning of public area. Includes a detachable
trash bag and a
place for storing cleaning agents and small piece of cleaning equipment.

3. MOP-WRINGER TROLLEY: Consists of a mop and one or twin buckets with an

attached wringer, all mounted on a trolley with caster-wheels.

4. MAID’S CART/ROOM ATTENDANT’S CART/TROLLEY: It is like a giant tool box, stocked

with everything necessary to service a guestroom effectively. Heavier linens must be
placed on the lowermost shelf and the smaller, lighter ones in
5. the top shelf.

Vacuum
- cleaners remove debris, soil and water from a surface by suction.
1. BACKPACK VACUUM: For cleaning high, hard to reach areas such as curtains, ceiling
corners and also used for cleaning staircase too. This vacuum can be easily strapped
to the back of the operator.

2. UPRIGHT VACUUM: The main body lies horizontal on the floor, used rotating
brushes and is driven by a single motor. Most suitable for use on a large carpeted
areas.

3. CYLINDRICAL VACCUM: Have no rotating brushes and work by suction only. A

flexible hose along with different attachments is used to clean a variety of surface.

4. CENTRALIZED VACUUM CLEANER: Suction is generated at one point in the building.

Soiling can be removed at vacuum points elsewhere in the building by suitable
nozzles linked to detachable flexible hoses. The collected dirt is then conveyed by a
network pipes to a central container.

5. WET AND DRY VACUUM: Can pick up spills and water excess when on the wet mode.
Help in removal of dust and debris on the dry mode.

SCRUBBER
- It is a floor care accessory that comes with handheld electrically operated scrubber. It is
used where only mopping doesn’t suffice. It can scrub stubborn and sticky stains on the
floors of cafeterias, restaurants, lobbies, and fitness areas where people can take food
and beverages.

POLISHER
- They are used to add a shine to the floors of most frequented areas of the hotel.

HIGH PRESSURE WASHERS

 - It is designed to remove soilage by subjecting the surface to water, steam or sand under
pressure. Water under high pressure physically dislodges the dust. The process can be
assisted by the use of hot water, steam or sand.
SCARIFYING MACHINES
- They are meant to remove heavy grease, mud & thick deposits from the surface. This is
used when simple scrubbing machine is not effective. Here dirt deposits are broken by
the chisel like action of a wire brush cutting tool.

CLEANING AGENTS / CHEMICALS

Apart from water and regular detergents, the housekeeping staff also uses cleaning
chemicals, which are often available in the form of liquids, blocks, and powders.
1. Water − It is the most commonly used medium for cleaning and rinsing. Non-oily
and non-greasy stains such as ink stains can be removed using water.
2. Bathroom Cleaners − They come in liquid form for easy cleaning. They clean,
descale, and disinfect the bathroom walls, bathtubs, bathroom flooring, sinks, and
showers. They often contain phosphoric acid.
3. Degreaser − This is mainly used in bars to remove the marks of grease and lipstick
that cannot be removed by traditional washing of glasses and cups. Degreaser
restores the surface shine and transparency of the glasses and bowls.
4. Floor cleaner - Some areas in the hotel are busy and bear heavy traffic such as lobby,
corridors, parking areas, restaurants, and dining halls. Their floorings loses
smoothness and shine. The floor cleaners and sealers are used for restoring their
look and shine.
5. Surface Sanitizers − They often come in the form of liquid concentrate. They are
water-based and sanitize the surfaces without damaging their appearance. The
sanitizers reduce the presence of bacteria to a great extent.
6. Toilet Blocks − They deodorize the toilets and leave them with a fresh smell.
7. Toilet Cleaners − They are available in liquid form containing strong hydrochloric
acid. They remove stains and plumbing scales easily, and restore the shine of their
surface.
8. Carpet cleaning chemicals are often low-moisture, fast-drying cleaners that take
care of the carpets.
9. Glass cleaner – to clean mirror, glass window or glass door.

GUEST SUPPLIES
- include all items that are conducive to the guest’s material comfort and convenience.
1. Guest amenities: all the luxury items that a hotel provides to its guests at no extra
cost.
2. Guest expendables: guest supplies that are expected to be used up or taken away by
guest on leaving the property.
3. Guest essentials: items that are essential to the guestroom but are not used up or
expected to be taken away by guests.
4. Guest loan items: Supplies that are not normally found in the guestroom, but are
available to the guest on request.

GUESTROOM LINEN
- Consists of bed and bath linen.
1. .BED LINEN: includes all the launderable articles on the bed.
a. Pillowcases - a cloth cover for a pillow.
b. Blankets - a large piece of material that keeps the body warm.
c. Duvet covers – made of cotton or blended fabrics. Referred as comforters.
d. Mattress protectors – to protect mattress from stains and spills.
e. Bedspreads - a decorative cloth used to cover a bed.
f. Dust ruffles – fabric skirting that extend around the sides and foot of a bed.
 g. Bed sheets - rectangular piece of cloth, laid above the mattress

2. BATH LINEN: includes all kinds of towels found in a guest bathroom. •

a. Bath sheets – extra large bath towel in VIP rooms.
b. Bath towels – a large towel used to dry the body after bathing or showering,
usually made of heavy, absorbent material.
c. Face towels –smaller than a bath towel, is often of smooth-surfaced
material, used especially for drying the face.
d. Hand towels – smaller than face towels, used by guests for drying hand after
washing.
e. Wash cloths - used by guests for scrubbing their face and body clean while
taking bath.
f. Bath mats – kept in guest bathrooms for guests to dry their feet after coming
out of a bath.

COMPONENTS OF BED
1. Bed frame - Box frame (wood) or Metal frame (Iron)
2. Bed Base - A bed consist of mattress supported by a base. The base may be made up of
coil springs, wire mesh, solid wood or plywood.
3. Headboard - Most hotel prefer headboard to be wall mounted. Objective of headboard
is to protect the wall from developing greasy stains
4. Footboard are usually of the same material and color as the headboard of the bed.
5. Bed legs – to support the bed.